Start a conversation about the performance or encourage reflection, using these questions as inspiration.
Susan Jaffe, named "America's Quintessential American Ballerina" by The New York Times, enjoyed a career as a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre (ABT) for 22 years, and now serves as ABT's artistic director and interim executive director. Under her leadership, “American Ballet Theatre is considered one of the greatest dance companies in the world, revered as a living national treasure since its founding in 1939. Few ballet companies rival ABT in size, scope, and outreach.”
- What are the advantages and challenges of creating art as an internationally and historically renowned arts institution?
- How has ballet evolved over the eight decades of ABT history? What could ballet look like in another eighty years?
According to Giselle: A History of ABT Productions, “Giselle is one of the oldest continually performed ballets, having had its world premiere on June 28, 1841 at the Theatre de l’Academie Royale de Musique in Paris … Since then, this ballet has entered the repertoire of almost all of the major ballet companies in the world.”
- Why do some stories have staying power? Why do you imagine a story like Giselle is still being told?
- What do you imagine brought audiences to live performances in 1841? What about audiences in 2024?
- What aspects of Giselle do you think have motivated choreographers to create alternate settings and narratives for the story? If you were adapting Giselle today, what further changes would you make and why?
This production will feature a walk-on cast of supernumeraries—or supers—who are background characters used to help create full and lively scenes during full-length ballets.
- How do supernumeraries contribute to a ballet performance's overall aesthetic and narrative? Can their presence alter the audience’s perception of the main dancers and the storyline?
- Evaluate the impact of supernumeraries on audience engagement and reception. Can supernumeraries create a greater sense of community during a performance?